Yeoksam Station Chinese solo lunch, jjamppong-bap: Jjamppong Jijon

Today I'm introducing a Chinese restaurant near Yeoksam Station that I visited recently.

Picking a lunch menu is hard enough for office workers, and finding a place for eating alone isn't easy either, right? This time I found a place near Yeoksam Station where I could eat alone without feeling awkward, and leave really full and comfortable. It's Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch (짬뽕지존 역삼점), known for generous service and deep-flavored broth!

Is Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch good for eating alone?

Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch is a spacious restaurant with solo tables and group seating. The writer says there is ample parking and a free dessert corner. It's a short walk from Yeoksam Station and easy to spot, so access is really good.

Even at lunchtime, when office workers flood in, the place is so big and turns tables so quickly that it worked well for me. What I liked most was that the hall is huge and cleanly decorated.

The tables are spaced generously, so you can focus entirely on your meal without worrying about the people around you. Maybe that's why I saw quite a few people like me who had come to Yeoksam Station looking for a place to eat alone.

What's on the Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch self-serve bar?

The self-serve bar has basic side dishes like pickled radish and jjasai (pickled mustard stem), hair ties, and unlimited free rice. The real charm starts before the main dishes even arrive, while you browse the self-serve bar.

The neatly kept self-serve bar has plenty of pickled radish and jjasai. What I found really thoughtful is that they even set out hair ties for women!

With long hair you worry about splashing jjamppong broth, so I was touched by this kind of care the moment I walked in.

And the big one: the rice you can mix into the jjamppong broth is unlimited and free! In these days of high prices, not many Chinese restaurants near Yeoksam Station offer this kind of value for lunch.

Free drinks and an after-meal vending machine

All the drinks you can have before and after the meal are free. I took a look at the drink corner before the food came out: sweet-and-sour plum and fresh, sweet yuja (citron) drinks are served with slushy ice.

When you eat Chinese food, things can get a little greasy or your mouth feels dry, right? One sip of this cold drink cleans your palate and lets you keep going and going.

And that's not all: there's a drink vending machine right next to it. After your meal you can have coffee, hot cocoa or nutty Job's tears tea (yulmu-cha). No need to go to a café, since dessert is covered in the same spot. Totally the best, right?

How is the jjajangmyeon at Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch?

That day I wanted to properly try the signature dishes, so I ordered jjajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce), jjamppong and fried eggplant. The jjajangmyeon was a classic: not too sweet, with the rich nutty flavor of chunjang (black bean paste).

The jjajangmyeon came out first, and its glossy, shiny look alone made my mouth water.

The noodles were springy and the sauce soaked right into them, a classic taste anyone would like.

It wasn't too sweet and the nutty chunjang flavor came through strongly, so I never got tired of it and enjoyed it to the end. The pickled radish was the thin kind I love, which made it even better. The texture is nicer, and the radish flavor doesn't overpower the jjajangmyeon.

Jjamppong and jjamppong-bap with free rice at Jjamppong Jijon

The jjamppong had a strong wok-fire aroma and a spicy broth, with seafood that had already been shelled. The jjamppong I tried next was every bit the restaurant's signature dish. Generous meat and seafood toppings sat on top of the rich red broth.

I started with a spoonful of broth, and the wok-fire aroma spread out, followed by a deep, spicy flavor.

The best touch was that the shells of seafood like mussels and clams were all removed, leaving only the meat. No fuss with peeling shells, I could scoop it up with a spoon, and I worried less about splashing my clothes.

After finishing the noodles, I mixed rice from the self-serve bar into the broth, and that was a treat in itself.

The rich jjamppong broth soaked between the grains of rice, and it felt like a second round with jjamppong-bap (jjamppong rice soup).

Is the fried eggplant at Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch soggy?

The fried eggplant was the very picture of crispy outside, juicy inside. It's the last dish I'm introducing!

At Chinese restaurants, a badly made fried eggplant can soak up too much oil and turn soggy and greasy, right?

But the eggplant here was crisp like a snack on the outside and full of the eggplant's own juices inside.

The sweet and spicy sauce was evenly tossed over the thin, crunchy coating, and it was seriously addictive.

A bite of jjajangmyeon or jjamppong followed by this crispy fried eggplant is a perfect harmony of textures.

Is Jjamppong Jijon a good solo lunch spot near Yeoksam Station?

Even ordering jjajangmyeon, jjamppong and fried eggplant all by myself felt no burden, because every dish was so good. It was a Chinese restaurant near Yeoksam Station where I could enjoy a filling meal in a spacious, pleasant space without feeling awkward.

Besides the friendly service, the generous self-serve bar with side dishes, hair ties, rice and all kinds of drinks left me completely satisfied. If you're looking for a hearty place to eat alone near Yeoksam Station, or you're craving spicy jjamppong for lunch today, give it a visit!